Lugano
Hans Hartung was born on 21 September 1904 in Leipzig, Germany. Before devoting himself entirely to painting, he passionately cultivated interests such as philosophy, astronomy and music. At only 17 years old he began to experiment with abstraction, synthesizing the graphic techniques of his artistic models and completely rejecting any figurative element, in an attempt to move away from an objective representation of reality.
In 1924 he enrolled at the University of Leipzig to study philosophy and art history, then attended the Kunstakademie and finally completed his artistic training in Dresden. It was in Dresden that he came into contact with the works of the Parisian avant-garde, and this experience prompted him to move to Paris, attracted by the desire to know and confront major contemporary artists.
In Paris he participated in the Salon des Surindépendants from 1935 to 1938, the exhibition De Cézanne à nos jours (1937) and the exhibition on 20th-century German art in London (1938). In the years immediately preceding World War II, his work reflected an attempt to reconcile casualness and control by combining expressive graphic elements with black and colour spots to evoke a sense of spontaneity. At the outbreak of war, Hartung enlisted in the Foreign Legion (1939-1940). He participated in the invasion of France in 1944 and was seriously wounded during the siege of Belfort, an event that led to the amputation of his left leg. Returned to Paris in 1945, he immediately resumed painting and the following year obtained French citizenship.
Throughout his career, Hartung received numerous international awards, including the prize for the Europe-Africa section of the Guggenheim International Award (1956) and the Grand Prix International de la Peinture at the 1960 Venice Biennale. His first solo exhibition was held at the Galerie Lydia Conti in 1947, followed by major exhibitions at the Galerie de France and the Galerie Craven in 1956. Major retrospectives include Younger European Painters: A Selection at the Guggenheim Museum (1953-1954), a major exhibition at the Musée national d’art moderne in Paris (1969), personal exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1975) and the Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris (1980).
Central figure of Art Informel and Tachisme, Hartung developed an abstract style, gestural and almost calligraphic, only in appearance spontaneous. In fact, his painting was deeply influenced by a rationalism matured since youth, through reflection on the relationship between aesthetics and mathematics. The tension between improvisation and control remained at the heart of his pictorial research until he passed away in 1989 in Antibes, France.